Martin Conway
Administrative Panel · Independent · Ireland
“I too would like to welcome Leryn to Seanad Éireann. It is a very special trip back to Ireland for her and I hope she enjoys her time here. I also echo the good wishes and the thanks to Martin and all his team who make life so much easier for us here, and I hope all colleagues across the House have an enjoyable summer.”
“I have come across a number of examples lately that are quite distressing. I have to do further research but if the information that has been brought to my attention is correct, it is very distressing. I also seek a further debate on tourism. We have the Walker Cup coming to Lahinch in September and people are very excited about.”
“Finally, I commend Cara Darmody, someone the Leader knows very well, who is at the gates of Leinster House doing her two-day protest. I think it is her second in the last year. I commend her on what she has achieved through her advocacy and her campaigning and what she will achieve. I know the Leader would agree with me on that.”
“I support Senator Harmon in her call and proposition regarding Bessborough. I did not realise that planning permission had been granted. It is horrendous. With all the land throughout the entire country, surely to God, we can deal with a housing crisis in a more humane and respectful way than granting planning permission on that site.”
“If they did, I have no doubt it would raise awareness. It would develop a respect for the water and save many lives. I also believe every young person should undergo first aid training before they leave school. Again, it is not a difficult thing to provide.”
“I acknowledge the work that has been done to improve things in Limerick and the announcement by the Minister for Health in recent weeks that there is going to be a completely new hospital built, which will be co-located with UHL and will have its own emergency department. That is extremely welcome. I am a realist.”
The complete record
Every one of 316 lines we hold for Martin Conway, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 6 of 7.
“I, too, would like to be associated with the sympathies expressed to the Finucane family on the passing of the legend that was Jim Finucane. I had the privilege of having a cup of tea with Jim about three or four weeks ago after he was appointed to his position as honorary consul for Ukraine when he was in Dublin. I believe it was the day after he had been appointed. He was a great and lovely man and will be sadly missed. I also echo the welcome to Michelle Madden and her daughter, Sinéad, in the Gallery and wish them all the very best. They retired recently from business. Madden's Furniture was a stalwart business for many decades in the town of Ennis. It gave great service to the community and I wish the family every success in the next chapter of their lives.”
“The in-built reporting mechanisms, whereby the Taoiseach chairs the review mechanism, is extremely important. Strategies are all very well but it is the deliverables that are important. I wish the Minister of State the very best with this extremely important portfolio.”
“It was launched officially by the former Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar. I have to say, it is one of the initiatives I am very happy about. What also concerns me is a situation whereby a student gets the points or gets to college and gets a degree but then struggles when it comes to getting a placement, an internship and, ultimately, employment. It is very concerning to have 83% of people with disabilities still be reliant on forms of welfare. We are an outlier when it comes to our European colleagues on that. I thought I had eight minutes but obviously I only have four. Sadly, I could speak quite a lot on this topic but I will conclude. This strategy is extremely important for creating the type of society we all want to see and we all want to live in, one that people with disabilities want to live in as well.”
“I was personally involved in creating a bursary with Vision Ireland whereby many students got a €1,500 bursary to help them towards their living expenses and social expenses because, unfortunately, people with visual impairments find it more difficult to get a Saturday job than their able-bodied peers. The idea of the bursary was to try to give them some sort of equality in that sense. I am glad to say that many business people in this country have responded positively to the various fundraising initiatives Vision Ireland and I have organised to try to fund the bursary. It is €1,500 a year for four years, which is actually €6,000. I am delighted to have had in Leinster House over the past three or four years some of the people who received the bursary and have come through the system.”
“Now, we have tens of thousands of SNAs and resource teachers employed and while there will never be enough, the position is not bad considering where we were coming from as a country. In that scenario, a lot more people will get the opportunity to go to college. If they fall short on points, the HEAR system is in place and they will get discounted marks to give them the opportunity and to create a level playing pitch for them in university and college. I would like to see more people with disabilities attend third level than what we have at present. It concerns me that the number of blind and visually impaired students who have attended third level has plateaued or, to a certain extent in some colleges, decreased over the past couple of years.”
“As somebody with lived experience of a disability, and a serious one, I think back to when I was in school in the 1980s and early 1990s when there were no SNAs or resource teachers. I went to integrated education in County Clare, and what I had in terms of resources was a visiting teacher for the visually impaired who came twice a year. Without the support and kindness of teachers who were not SNAs or resource teachers, and who gave me extra and went above and beyond, I certainly would not have progressed through the education system in the manner in which I did. When I went to college there was no higher education access route, HEAR, system. People had to get the points, and that was it. I was fortunate in that I came through the education system and got the points to go to college.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank the Minister, Deputy Foley, for her comprehensive open statement. I welcome the launch and publication of this five-year strategy. We have had strategies before but I genuinely believe that this strategy is comprehensive and meaningful. I also believe the resources are there. The mood music over the last two or three years has been positive in the sense that there is a political determination and willingness now to create a level playing pitch for people with disabilities. Ultimately, all somebody with a disability wants is equality and a level playing pitch. We have seen significant investment across Government Departments to enable more equality for people with disabilities.”
“There are tens of thousands of people working in farming in this country who would love to have been there but for practical reasons were not able to. There was not even standing room in Cork yesterday. Will the Leader convey a strong message to the Minister that we have his back and we wish him well in the short time ahead with the work he is doing for Irish farmers?”
“However, this derogation is something that is required if farming in this country is to have a future and if the next generation is to embrace the land, that life and that community. Within our communities, the farming community is really the bedrock. If that is to develop, the derogation is critical. I wish the Minister well in his deliberations and engagement, particularly with the Commissioner this week. It is important that a clear and strong message go from this House supporting the Minister and his officials in the extremely sensitive and important few weeks ahead with what they are trying to achieve. I congratulate the IFA and all of the 2,000 farmers who turned out because they are symbolic of the entire farming community.”
“She was practical but embedded in the community and in humanity. Modern Ireland could learn an awful lot from her. I hope her soul rests in peace. Like colleagues, I noted with pride the huge turnout in Cork yesterday by farmers. I hope we will not see a collision course between the Irish Government and the European Commission on this issue. I hope that pragmatism will prevail and the solution that is really the only solution comes to the fore and is adopted. I listened with great interest to the Minister, Deputy Heydon, in his media interviews today and I very much agree with him and his approach in terms of the various asides he is addressing in order that Ireland is not just seen to meet its obligations, but actually does.”
“I, too, congratulate the President-elect, former Deputy Catherine Connolly. It is a great achievement for her. She is a lady I have got to know around the Houses. I usually meet her early in the morning, particularly while she was Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I have no doubt she will bring her enormous energy and vision to Áras an Uachtaráin and we wish her well. It is with deep sadness but a celebration of life that I acknowledge what Sr. Stan has achieved in this country. I got to know her well, particularly when I was elected here first. I was on the justice committee and we did a huge amount of work in the area of migration. It was a whole different conversation and scenario back then. Sr. Stan in her role as the founder of the Immigrant Council of Ireland was a wonderful person to engage with.”
“While Ennistymon as a town is doing exceptionally well in spite of all of this, were this project to be concluded, Ennistymon as a town and all of north County Clare would benefit enormously.”
“This is an inner relief road that requires a new bridge and the demolition of some buildings. Again, this is part of the N85 main thoroughfare and the access point for the Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, Lahinch, all of north County Clare and the Wild Atlantic Way. This summer, there were again huge traffic delays in the Ennistymon and Lahinch area because of the hundreds of buses every week trying to negotiate a bridge that was built decades ago and that clearly is unable to deal with the volume of traffic. The adjoining properties and the current access point are being regularly damaged and businesses in that immediate area are suffering greatly because of the amount of traffic.”
“Will the Leader use his good offices to write to the Minister for Transport to ask him if he could ensure the long-awaited funding for the N85 realignment project between Ennis and Inagh in County Clare is included in the 2026 funding programme? This stretch of road has been on the agenda for a long time - many years. Clare County Council recently passed a motion calling for this funding to be made available, bearing in mind that thousands of cars use the road every day. It is the main access point to the Cliffs of Moher, which is the second busiest tourist attraction in the country. This stretch of road has needed an upgrade for a long time to deal with the level of traffic using it. Also, will the Leader establish exactly what the situation is with the long-awaited project at Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon?”
“I am conscious that I have very little time. There is an awful lot more I would like to say but we need to look at paid graduate placement programmes for people with disabilities to prove to industry, business and so on that, once they get the opportunity, they are very capable of doing the job. I wish the Minister well. I really believe he is going to be a transformative Minister for further and higher education. I wish him the best of luck.”
“I was delighted to be part of launching a bursary and I have run fundraisers to fund a separate bursary run by Vision Ireland to fund so many students per year. I think it is a grant of €1,500 per year as a grant towards Saturday work because many of them cannot get Saturday work. If they did, it would compromise their ability to study and pass their exams. I would like to see some sort of task force put in place to look at people with sensory disabilities and why the numbers of deaf people, blind people and people with disabilities in further education are not improving. Our universities are accessible. They are wheelchair accessible and the lifts, libraries and so on are accessible but, sadly, we are not seeing the numbers going to college that we should be seeing. The HEAR programme is very welcome.”
“I thank the Minister. I can call him Minister now. The last time he was in this Chamber, I referred to him as Minister even though he was Chair of a committee. He might remember it because I did not recognise him. I always knew he would be a Minister, so I congratulate him. As he knows, I advocate a lot for people with disabilities. As somebody with a disability I benefited enormously from the opportunity to go to college in a time when you had to really work hard because very few with disabilities, and certainly very few with vision impairments, got to go to college or university. That situation has sadly not changed dramatically. While the technologies and so on have improved, unfortunately the numbers per head of population of visually impaired and blind people getting to university are not getting to the level they should.”
“A number of years ago I pointed out that part of the criteria for the sports capital grant funding should be a declaration and an explanation as to how the facilities are encouraging and promoting people with disabilities and creating access for people with disabilities to their facilities. I am not sure that has happened to the degree that one would have hoped. Therefore we need to do a stress test on the sports capital grants programme to see what more can be done in a positive way to make sure that the over 10% of our population with a disability can be as active as they physically should be and that State is providing support to them in the same way as it is providing support to other people involved in sport. It would be very welcome to have an overall debate with the Minister for sport on what is being done to make sport accessible.”
“I call on the Leader to organise a debate on people with disabilities being active, particularly in sport. We have a very proud tradition in this country and a very proud Special Olympics team which does fantastic work in representing us abroad. Equally, our Paralympians do fantastic work representing us abroad and have had many achievements for which I commend them. There are thousands of people with disabilities who do not fall into either category, however. They deserve support to be active. I commend the various sports governing bodies that have programmes that enable people with physical disabilities to be active within their sports. I commend Active Disability Ireland on the work it does with the various Government bodies to promote active physical activity for people with disabilities. However, much more can be done.”
“The train services out to Kildare in the evenings and in the mornings are full. You can barely get standing room, so this proves it works. From a Clare perspective, I would like to see more frequent services between Ennis, Limerick and Galway, I would like to see the Crusheen railway station back on the agenda, and I would like to see more frequent services between the two cities and Ennis.”
“We need to see a kind of standardised rail cost and ticket fare. Why should somebody living in Ennis be paying more to go to Limerick, which is more or less the same distance as from somewhere like Maynooth or Kilcock to Dublin? That needs to be looked at in the upcoming review. Are there any plans for a rail link from Ennis to Shannon and Shannon to Limerick? That would be very useful. I welcome the fact that we are looking at developing the Foynes to Limerick route. I know the Leas-Chathaoirleach would agree with me that a DART-type system around Limerick would be very useful because the structure is there. It would make sense if there was light rail system supporting Limerick city. Investing in rail ticks a lot of boxes and it achieves a lot. Rail transports a lot of people very quickly.”
“An interdepartmental and interagency report was done on that. It will cost a few million euro but at some stage - hopefully, later rather than sooner - we are going to see the flooding back and buses transporting people, which is not ideal and not what we need to be seeing. I travel by train every week, sometimes daily. One of the benefits are the staff. The Iarnród Éireann staff are outstanding. Obviously, everyone would like to able to get a cup of coffee on the train and it would be nice to see that service return. There is a discrepancy. When I am in Dublin, I stay in Maynooth a lot of the time and I get the trains in. People tell me on the trains that it is good value, yet it is dearer to get the train from Ennis to Limerick or from Ennis to Galway. These journeys are more or less the same distance.”
“Now, though, you cannot get a seat on it in the mornings because of the amount of students travelling to Galway, the amount of people who are working in Galway and travelling from Ennis, and the people from Galway travelling to Limerick and Ennis as well. It is absolutely fantastic to see how successful it has been. We could do with another railway station or two on the line and with taking over some of the crossings to speed it up a little bit. Crusheen is an obvious railway station. An economic benefit study was done recently, so I would be interested to hear the Minister of State's views on Crusheen railway station. The Moyross station is happening, which is very welcome. We need more frequency of services between Galway and Limerick specifically, Ennis and Limerick, and Ennis and Galway. There are flooding challenges at Ballycar.”
“The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I know he fully understands the benefits of rail travel. I also wish to be associated with the comments regarding Jim Meade. I used meet Jim regularly enough travelling the early morning trains from Ennis to Dublin. He is a good Clare man. I also wish Ms Mary Considine, the incoming CEO of Irish Rail, the very best of luck. She is another Clare woman. The future of our rail service is in good hands. I have three issues. First, I 100% support the Minister of State, Senator Kyne and others on the western rail corridor. When the Ennis to Galway section was opened, people said it would never work or be used. To be fair, at the start, it was not regularly used.”
“I encourage him to make sure his officials are flexible with those types of schemes because they can be the difference between a business dying and a business surviving and, ultimately, the preservation and retention of jobs.”
“It worked during Covid when we were able to intervene and save businesses. I am one of the people that does not believe in saving businesses that are not possible to save long term. There is no point in government money being spent to prop up a business that ultimately will fail if it does not get government money but there are a lot of businesses that need a leg up. We will find that, between January and July, some businesses will suffer because of the minimum wage increase in advance of the VAT reduction. There needs to be a fund that is swift, quick and reactive and can intervene to stabilise businesses to prevent them from going under, which potentially they could do in the short term. The Minister has a business mind and he thinks that way.”
“I welcome that there is a team within the Minister's Department that is working on digital marketing, but I really think there needs to be a facility for ramping that up significantly, particularly in the lucrative markets like the European market, the American market and the new growing markets in places like Asia. When they come, it is the trip of a lifetime and they spend money. The car rental sector also needs to be supported. The Leader, Senator Kyne, will be talking to the Minister on that specific issue in the coming days. We have had an engagement with our former Oireachtas colleague in that area. It would be very useful if there were a fund available within the Minister's Department to support and engage when particular elements of the tourism industry find themselves in trouble.”
“The joined-up thinking with rural development and the work involved was done by Heather Humphreys when she was the Minister, and Michael Ring before her, investing in swimming pools, in visitor attractions, in museums, in community hubs and so on that are the silver-plated facilities that benefit communities as a drop down from the gold-plated facilities. It is important that they are supported. We are living in an Internet age and a digital marketing age. As a country, we need to be spending the bulk of our international marketing budget in the digital space.”
“I welcome and really support the gold-plated tourism products. In County Clare we have the Cliffs of Moher, which is one of the top tourist attractions in the country, but we also need silver-plated ones. It is pointless in County Clare for a bus to come from Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher, spend four hours at the Cliffs of Moher and then for the bus to go back to Dublin. We need to create a two- to three-day package where the buses will come and absolutely they will visit the gold-plated facility but there are lots of silver-plated facilities as well. We need to keep investing in them to make sure they are up to best international standard. We cannot let our silver-plated facilities dwindle because of the lack of investment.”
“I would argue that it is the right decision and, as time evolves, it will be proven to be the right decision because there are tens of thousands of potential jobs yet to be created in the tourism sector in this country. There are also the tens of thousands of jobs currently that need to be protected. This is one measure that will protect them. It is not coming in until next July and that the minimum wage is increasing after Christmas, so there is a lacuna of a few months that some businesses will find extremely difficult. I also welcome the Minister's creative thinking when it comes to tourism. I urge the Minister to look at some sort of a scheme to support villages to retain the fabric they have. A village is only village when it does have its pub, its shop, its coffee shop and somewhere for people to eat.”
“It started with The Gathering and then it evolved to the Wild Atlantic Way, which was the first time we had a joined-up thinking approach in marketing us as a country, the west of Ireland from to Donegal to Cork, in a professional way internationally and in a way that can be attractive, similar to camino walks in other countries. We need to build on that. Back in 2017 or 2018, I tabled a motion in the House that the 9% VAT rate would be retained permanently in the tourism industry because of what it did as a budgetary measure that really did have impact. Funnily enough, my Private Member's motion actually did not pass because people had reservations about it simply because of the cost.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Acting Cathaoirleach. Of course I will. I commend my colleague Senator Kennelly on espousing the virtues of Kerry. Indeed he is right. Clare, across the Shannon, has equally as much to offer. The Minster is very welcome to the House. I am delighted that tourism has been added to his brief. When we look back to 2010 to 2012, when we were on our knees as a country, the first industry that bounced back was tourism because we approached it strategically. We created product that was attractive internationally.”
“I am looking for a debate on accountability for local authority CEOs when purchasing property. On another day, I will allude to why I am raising that particular issue.”
“The Department of housing needs to do a deep dive in collaboration with other Departments and agencies to do an inventory of the number of buildings in State ownership that are derelict or vacant and to see what can be done to bring them into use specifically for housing. Not enough is being done in that space to identify properties. I can give specific examples in my county and I am sure my colleagues here can give examples of buildings they are aware of that have lain vacant for decades. Coupled with that, we need another layer when it comes to the State agencies, specifically local authorities, purchasing properties. While I fully understand and accept that the CEO of a local authority has to have autonomy from elected members when purchasing property, there needs to be another layer of accountability.”
“I also warmly welcome our colleague Senator Andrews back. I commend him on what was a truly heroic effort on his part to shine a light on the issue. In due course, I am sure we will hear some of the haunting stories. I join my two colleagues in wishing him well in the upcoming days. I wish him and his family well with his transition back to Irish life. I would like a debate on the property owned by the State, specifically agencies like the OPW and local authorities. In my county there are a lot of vacant properties owned by various elements of the State, including CIÉ, Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and the OPW. I can think of three buildings in a town in Clare that are boarded up and could be used for something more productive than they are being used for at the moment, which is nothing.”
“I hope the united voice of this Chamber that has gone out loud and clear this evening is picked up on and influences, informs and supports the Government in doing what it needs to do to make sure the desired outcome is achieved.”
“The one great thing about this Chamber, and I say this to our visitors, is that when something is the right thing to do, in most cases we come together. We speak in unison and with one voice. When we do that, it can be very powerful. When we do not divide when it is the right thing to do, we can be a very influential and powerful Chamber. That is why the people voted to retain us: to do this type of thing, to support colleagues who have lived experience and make very sensible, pragmatic and necessary proposals. That is what is happening here. I am glad that this Chamber at least will come together behind our friend and colleague Gerard and his family on this very personal mission to deliver and achieve so as future generations will benefit. I am glad it is happening.”
“I salute the late Laura Brennan and her parents who have kept the campaign going. When the Government announced it was extending the vaccine programme, I remember how proud and delighted Laura's parents were that her legacy lived on. It is always important to keep reminding people of the importance of the vaccine. I continue to salute the Brennan family in the work they do. I am sure everyone here would join me in encouraging families to have the conversation, but more importantly, take the vaccine because it works and it saves an awful lot going forward. I am glad the Government is not opposing Senator Craughwell's motion. When I read it, I assumed it would not but I am glad it did not because it is the right thing to do.”
“I agree with Senator Clonan that, if there has not been movement in the right direction in six months' time by the professionals sitting here, we will have to address it in some other way. I have no doubt that the Minister of State will make sure that this happens. She is here and is listening. Having worked with her over the years, I know what she is like and know her determination. I am very hopeful. It is not a lot of money when we are looking at the €25.7 billion health budget that was announced yesterday, but it is critical. The money involved is critical because it will make a difference. I appeal to families and parents to make sure their children and young adults avail of the HPV vaccine. I have worked on the whole issue of HPV awareness over the past number of years.”
“I thank Senator Craughwell for putting down this motion. As the fella says, when you talk with personal experience, you talk with passion and power. I have spoken to Senator Craughwell many times and I welcome Rebecca here today. I have spoken to him many times over the years about the challenges his family and Rebecca have faced in dealing with this issue. As somebody with a lived experience of a disability, I know what it is like to talk because you are talking with the knowledge, experience, heartache and hope. One always have hope. I commend the Senator and his family on what they have done and on bringing this here because it is going to get results. I have no doubt about that. I listened to what the Minister of State said and Senator Craughwell's presentation.”
“That is the European way that budgets are drafted and done. We need to keep moving towards that. A budget should not in any way be a surprise and there should be no surprises in it. It should be the summary and conclusion of months of work as opposed to an opening statement heading towards the Finance Act. I know that would be a significant change and it is something I would like to see happen in due course.”
“It is a known fact that people who rent a car and drive around spend more money in small shops, small pubs and small restaurants than those who hop on a bus tour in Dublin, come down to County Clare to have a look around and go to a designated place for their meal, and are then driven back. The people who come to fly into Shannon Airport, rent a car and spend the week travelling around Ireland are hugely beneficial to businesses in County Clare. The balancing act of the budget has been a challenge but by and large, the right decisions have been made. I think we are moving to more of a German model where the budget is the culmination of weeks of debate as opposed to the beginning of the debate. In other words, the budget is the sum of all the various contributions that have been made.”
“We have to constantly repackage and remarket in order for tourism to continue to thrive and for Ireland to continue to stay competitive and attractive to those who put a lot more thought and consideration into their holidays. Most of them are planning and doing it themselves, which brings me to another point I would like to make. There are some industries that rely on tourism, such as the car rental business. Many people in my constituency are employed either directly or indirectly in the car rental business. An eye needs to be kept on those businesses to make sure they are facilitated to stay competitive and the Government is not doing anything to make them in any way uncompetitive.”
“This 9% VAT rate will assist them in some shape or form. It is a pity the minimum wage is going up in January but the 9% VAT rate is not coming in until July. I sincerely hope that in quarter 1 of next year, in particular, coffee shops and other small businesses will survive so they can drive on and benefit from the reduced VAT rate when it comes into effect in July. I am happy that a significant contribution is to be made to Tourism Ireland and Fáilte Ireland to support their marketing budgets. Tourism is very important for many counties in this country, including County Clare, where I am from, and the other counties along the west coast. We have seen a number of initiatives that have been very successful but tourism is evolving.”
“Nobody is going to build apartments unless they can make money out of them. We will wait and see but I am hopeful that this will kickstart the permissions granted to move to commencement stage. I hope that eventually, in three or four years, we will see the benefit of this budget measure coming through where people will have a roof over their head. The 9% VAT rate has caused a bit of controversy. I remind people that the 9% rate was introduced back in 2011 or 2012. It kickstarted the hospitality industry in a significant way at that time. It was used again during and after Covid. It certainly kickstarted the hospitality industry at a time when we needed it. When I talk to the owners of small businesses, particularly little restaurants, cafés and coffee shops, they tell me they are finding it very difficult.”
“I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I realise that budgets are a balancing act. You have to try to take all sorts of competing interests, scenarios and situations, some of which are complex and some of which are not so complex, and some of which have consequences and some of which have unintended consequences. You have to look at what the major issues of the day are. The number one issue is housing. The next most pressing issues, in my view, are healthcare and the cost of living. Regarding housing, we have thousands upon thousands of apartments with planning permission but they are not being built. Something has to be done to ensure these apartments are built. Based on our history, I do not want any kind of incentive for developers but sometimes it is necessary.”
“It is regrettable to see the Disability Federation of Ireland and others not welcoming the budget - on the contrary. The devil is always in the detail with these things. Perhaps there will be clarity when the Minister for public expenditure comes to the House for his section tomorrow. It would be a good idea to have a debate on disability when the Leader can organise to bring the Minister in. It would be useful as a means of bringing clarity. Perhaps what is needed is a little explanation and clarity.”
“I too welcome the budget and the overall debates that will take place this afternoon and tomorrow. Like others, I call for a sector-by-sector debate on the different areas to give us an opportunity to drill down into specific areas. There are many good measures that we will not have the opportunity to discuss in the overall budget statements, particularly in the area of disability. I reiterate my call for a debate on disability, particularly the plan announced recently, but specifically on the provisions in the budget. There does not seem to be the best of welcomes from some of the disability advocacy groups to the announcements today. Maybe it has not been explained properly, so a debate in the House on the budget provisions might bring some clarity.”
“I hope we are not going to enter another lengthy process of reviewing with expert groups and so on as to what happens. I want to know what the timeline is, what is happening, which option is going to be advanced and escalated, and how long it will take. This is urgent because what is going on in Limerick is totally and utterly unacceptable.”
“I do agree with that but clearly the guidance I and the people of the mid-west were hoping for from this report is really not there. I wanted a clear pathway, a recommended action that the Minister would implement tomorrow morning. It is appropriate that the Minister would come in here and outline what the next steps are to deal with this issue and to provide the necessary services that are needed in the mid-west so we would no longer have 147 people on trolleys. These are people in their 70s, 80s and 90s. It is totally unacceptable. I want a debate here with statements on this specific report, which is the HIQA report into emergency care in the mid-west. I want it as urgently as the Leader can arrange it with the Minister.”